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Thread: More Than You Wanted to Know: Implants

  1. #1

    More Than You Wanted to Know: Implants

    While running Anarchy Online, type ctrl-1 or click the left-most icon on the menu bar in the upper right corner of your screen, to open your equipment view. There are 3 tabs: Weap[ons], Cloth[es], and Imp[lants]. If it's not selected, click on Imp.

    This window shows you the 13 spots on your character's body where there are places for cybernetic implants: Eye, Head, Ear, Chest, Waist, both Arms, both Wrists, both Hands, Legs, and Feet. These work with your NCU to enhance your natural abilities or skills.

    Like everything else in Anarchy Online, implants come in every Quality Level, or QL, from 1 to 200 (and very rarely, slightly above). And as with everything else, you need to keep your implants updated to at least roughly the same QL as your character level, or you're falling behind. The higher, the better.

    Every implant consists of at least 2 parts, and no more than 4: one Basic Implant, plus up to 3 Nanoclusters. An empty basic implant has 3 slots into which you can insert one cluster each. These slots are called the Faded slot, the Bright slight, and the Shining slot.

    For every skill, attribute, or armor class in the game, there is a Faded, a Bright, and a Shining cluster available. At the same QL, the Bright gives more points than the Faded, and the Shining the most of all. Consequently, Bright clusters are more expensive, and Shining clusters the most expensive of all.

    Every assembled implant has 2 requirements before you can have it installed. One of your attributes will have to be (at least temporarily) up to a certain number. That number is dependent on the QL of the implant and which sockets are in use. Which attribute is semi-arbitrary, and hard to predict (more on this later, under "Nano Nanny"). The other requirement is the Treatment skill, which must also be (at least temporarily) up to a certain number to install the implant, and is also based entirely on the QL of the implant.

    To install an implant or to take one out, you need a Surgery Clinic. There are Portable Surgery Clinics available in-game, either as loot or for sale from any Pharmacist or from any Medical Supplies sales terminal. Portable Surgery Clinics come in a variety of QLs. They say in their description that they temporarily transfer some Surgery skill from the operator to the target. Supposedly, the higher the QL, the more points transferred. Don't believe it. There was an exploit that took advantage of this, so Funcom shut off that function. Portable Surgery Clinics no longer raise the target's Treatment skill - which renders them useless, pretty quickly.

    More importantly, then, there are permanent Surgery Clinics mounted into the wall in every Ordinary Supermarket and every Implant Shop. These cost 300 credits each time to use, but they also "buff" your Treatment skill by 100 points. And trust me, you will need that 100 point buff (and more) soon enough.

    Making Implants

    If you have an implant with an empty socket, and a cluster that matches both the socket and the implant type, you combine them much the same way you build anything in Anarchy Online. If you have them both in your Inventory, then with the Inventory window open:

    1) Left-click the cluster to pick it up, then ...
    2) Shift-right-click with it on the implant.

    If everything goes right, you will get a message saying that the 2 have been combined, making a new implant. You will also receive a small XP award for doing so.

    Here are the requirements for combining an implant and a cluster:

    1) They must match location. A foot cluster can't go into a head implant, and so on. Shift-left-click on any cluster to find out where it goes.

    2) The implant must have a matching empty socket. Faded clusters can only go into empty Faded sockets, and so on.

    3) The cluster must be at least 85% of the same QL as the implant, rounded up. If they don't match exactly, but can be used together, the QL of the cluster changes to match the implant. For example, if you put a QL47 cluster into a QL50 implant, you get a QL50 implant. If you put a QL47 cluster into a QL10 implant, you get a QL10 implant.

    4) You must have a high enough skill in Nano Programming (hereafter abbeviated "NP"), or find someone to do it for you. When you try to assemble it, it will either work, or it will tell you what skill in NP is needed to make it work.

    Once a cluster has been installed in an implant, it is stuck, and it is not coming out. If you want to replace it, you have to rebuild the entire implant from scratch.

    Every Ordinary Supermarket has a Trade Department. You can buy empty implants at the Implant terminal in the main store, and clusters at the Faded, Bright, and Shining cluster Terminals in the Trade Dept. Omni Ordinary Supermarkets have 2 of each cluster sales terminal in every store, one on the floor and one on the second balcony. In most cases, you should be able to find the cluster you need in 2 or 3 trips.

    Nano Nanny

    Thanks to third-party software called Nano Nanny, you can take almost all of the guesswork out of implant design. You can find it on the web at http://www.timezulu.com.au/NanoNanny/.

    Nano Nanny starts with a spreadsheet of 13 rows (implant locations) and 3 columns (cluster type). Each slot is a popup menu, offering only the clusters that can go into that slot. You can show clusters by cluster name or by the name of the skill or attribute they raise, and switch quickly between the 2. You can also change the layout so that it shows skills down the left instead of locations, which may occasionally save you some searching.

    Nano Nanny will also auto-allocate clusters for you. You can use the right hand side of the screen to build a list of the skills you want raised, from most important to least important. When you click Auto-Allocate, it will pick the clusters for you. You can then fine-tune the results on the spreadsheet, if you disagree with its choices.

    Then, when you click the Build tab, fill in a few choices, and hit Build button, it will do the rest of the calculations for you. The first 2 reports are the most important: they show you what skill increases you'll get, what NP skill you'll need for each step in the construction, and what attribute and Treatment skill levels you'll need to install it when it's done. All of these reports can be printed out.

    Another nice trick that Nano Nanny can do for you: it can help you "tweak" your implant designs to suit your breed and profession. After about character level 10, you should probably have stopped raising all six attributes every level. You're probably only raising 3. This means that if an implant requires a high value of one of those other attributes, you're out of luck. Here's how Nano Nanny can help.

    If an implant ends up requiring an attribute you haven't maxed, go back to the implant design spreadsheet tab. If you filled in all 3 slots in that implant, take out at least one cluster from that implant that you don't absolutely need. Then switch to the Build tab. Check the boxes for the attributes that you've raised the most. Having done so, click the Build button on that screen, again. Now, when you go to the Suggestions tab, you'll see which clusters you could put into the empty slots to switch the implant over to the attribute you want!

    Number Crunching

    If you don't want to use Nano Nanny, or Nano Nanny isn't enough for you to get a mental "grip" on what implants do for you and how to build them, you can use the following rules of thumb.

    To install an implant of Quality Level "n", you need a little bit more than twice "n" in whatever attribute it requires. You also need (after buffs, including the +100 for the surgery clinic) to have a Treatment skill of just short of five times "n". Or in other words, a QL 200 implant will require 404 in some attribute, and 945 in Treatment (as if such a thing were possible for most professions).

    The NP skill needed to build the implant, and the bonus you get from that nano cluster, depends on what that cluster raises: an attribute, a skill, an armor class, or a stat (health or nano pool). The following numbers are estimates, not precise numbers. If you need to know the exact numbers, use Nano Nanny. But in general, an implant will give you about this much increase per QL:

    Code:
                  Shining  Bright  Faded
    Attribute:       0.27    0.16   0.11
    Skill:           0.52    0.30   0.21
    Health/Nano:     2.20    1.30   0.85
    Armor Class:     2.75    1.60   1.15
    And will require this much NP skill per QL to combine it with an implant:

    Code:
                  Shining  Bright  Faded
    Attribute:       4.50    3.38   2.25
    Skill:           4.00    3.00   1.80
    Health/Nano:     5.00    3.75   2.50
    Armor Class:     4.00    3.38   2.00
    Warning

    Using these numbers and Nano Nanny, it is possible to design an implant that you can just, just barely squeeze into. You then run around to all of the stores and buy the parts. You then find the best, highest level Engineer or Meta-Physicist you can, and hand them the parts. They hand you back the completed implants ...

    And only then do you find out that your implants are one to 3 QLs higher than you thought they'd be, and you can't use them yet.

    What went wrong? If the NP skill of the person who assembles the implants is much, much higher than it needs to be, they end up making better implants.

    On the other hand, you may not have much choice, because at this point on Rubi-Ka, most of the people who are hanging around waiting to assemble implants are very high level characters.

    So what to do? Look for people who advertise on the For Sale channels with an "NP" skill not much higher than what you need. Leave yourself some "wiggle room" when you design your implants. Be prepared to have to wait another character level to install them if you've cut things close.

    Finding Helpers

    The best and most polite way to find help is wait outdoors in any major city, listening to the For Sale chat channels. If someone is looking for customers, this is where they'll advertise their services.

    The other alternative is to go where they are and ask. If not handled delicately, this can get you a reputation for being rude, and you'll find that you're paying much more, if you can find someone to do it at all.

    High level characters looking for employment typically hang out in 3 places at the moment. Clanners hang out in the plaza near the Tir grid terminal on the north end of town, up by the Happy Rebel tavern. OT employees wait by the Bronto Burger in Omni Entertainment District.

    The riskier place to use is by the Newland City mission terminals. They're popular with high level characters, many of whom are waiting for someone in their team to pick a mission. While they're waiting, they may be willing to help you, especially with the more expensive buffs. But they aren't there waiting to help you, they're there to do something else; remember that when you phrase your request.

    The potentially rudest and riskiest way is to use the new "/list" command. Let's say you know you need the +80 treatment buff from a doctor. You need to find someone who can cast a QL119 nano on you, which means they're going to be at least 100th level. Type "/list 100 200 doctor" and press enter. That will show you every 100th to 200th level doctor in the same city as you who hasn't used the "/anon" command to hide from "/list". You can use the same command to find other professions in the level range you need, as well.

    If you do this, go beyond polite all the way to groveling. You are asking a total stranger to interrupt what they're doing to do you a favor, even if you offer to pay them for it. Remember this when you phrase your "/tell".

    Implant Strategy

    Once you can spare the 300 credits to install it, almost any implant is better than none. Even pre-assembled low-QL faded implants are worth it, especially if you can install several at once.

    By the time you reach character level 6 or so, you should be thinking about custom building your own implants. Faded clusters and empty QL5 implants are dirt cheap. At the very least, pick the five or six most important skills for your character class, build a QL5 bright and/or a QL10 faded implant of each, and install them. 2000 or so credits is enough to get started. The difference will blow you away.

    At medium to high levels, strongly consider always including Treatment (Surgery), because at high levels, you will be scratching for every point of Treatment you can get if you want to raise your implant levels.

    Every character has at least one, probably 2 or more skills that they very much need to raise and can't afford to, because they're dark blue skills. When you're giving Nano Nanny priorities, move those to the top. Even if they're not the most important skills overall, they are the most important ones to raise via implants, since implants cost no IP.

    It is almost never worth it to use implants to raise armor class. By the time you deal with conflicting, overlapping armor classes, the absolute best you can do is around 3 to 5 AC per QL. To stay competitive, you need more like about 15 to 20 AC per character level, minimum. So if you sacrifice quite a few skills that you could have otherwise raised, you can build implants that raise your AC by maybe 20%.

    You will often find that you need to raise 2 nano skills to the same level -- and then find out that they conflict with each other. To give just one example, one that affects all puppeteers, Matter Creation (Creation) and Time & Space (E=MC^2) use the same slots. Here's a useful rule of thumb: at the same QL, one faded plus one bright equals one shining. Put one skill in the shining slot and the other in both the bright and faded slots.

    If your character is Omni or Neutral, you can buy an Omni-Med uniform from any OT Ordinary Supermarket. Sometimes clan characters can buy them (at high markup), or earn them as mission rewards. Together, the six pieces give a combined bonus of 78 to your Treatment skill. Also, Doctors and Adventurers have buffs that can raise Treatment skill, and those stack with Treatment Expertise.

    Can you use an Attribute-raising implant to meet the Attribute requirement for another implant? Yes. Can you use it to meet the implant for a replacement implant in the same slot? This used to be called "stair stepping," and it doesn't work any more, not since version 14.0.

    Finally, don't forget to update your implants often, about every 5-10 character levels through 30 and every 20 levels thereafter. If your character feels helpless, this is one of the most common reasons. It is at least as important as spending IP carefully, upgrading your nanoformulas, and using the right equipment.
    Last edited by Brad, STL/MO; May 29th, 2002 at 17:05:18.

  2. #2
    Another good post Brad.

    A couple of points.

    Firstly having a cluster of a higher QL than the implant doesnt seem to raise the QL of the assembled implant - what does raise the final QL of the implant seems to be the nano programming skill of the assembler. Get 3 QL30 clusters and a QL30 implant and get them assembled by a level 200 MP you'll end up with an implant maybe around QL35.

    Secondly I wouldn't advise new players to upgrade implants often - cash is just too tight at low levels and the benefits gained are too small. By all means use implants you fnd if they are better than the ones you have but buying implants quickly gets very expensive. QL30 is a good level to start buying implants but dont worry about having a full set at low levels, aim to be implanting your most important skills (weapon and/or nano) as a minimum.

    Always aim to be putting implants of a QL higher than your level, there are plenty of buffs available to help you do this:-

    Omni Med suit (from clothing terminals) - a full suit gives around +76 treatment.

    Doctors have +35 and +80 treatment buffs.

    For common secondary requirements there are:-

    Enforcer - Essences (strength / stamina boosts up to +27)
    Docs - Iron Circle (strength / stamina boost +20)
    Concrete cushions (strength / stamina boost +16 for 2 QL10 cushions)
    Agent - Feline Grace (agility boost +25)
    Agent - Enhanced senses (sense boost +15)

    The attributes that are harder to buff are Intelligence and Psychic. Other than the general buffs there aren't many options available for low level players to boost these attributes. The trick (as you discuss) is to fiddle with the clusters to get the implants secondary skill requirement into an area you are strong in or into one that can be easily buffed (as above).

  3. #3

    Thumbs up

    The Ultimate Agent Implant Set:

    *Note: I have written down the cluster names, not the skill names. This should make it easier for newbies to find the clusters in the shops.*

    The Basic Set
    This set is for the beginning agent. It cuts down on unneeded clusters to be cost effective, and all the implants are tailored for agility making them easy to buff into.

    This set is for pure rifle users. It focuses on maxing rifle skill and ranged initiative for combat. It includes 3 max life implants, which is very important for a weak little agent. It also focuses on your three main nano skills at lower levels: Pyscho mod, Sense Imp, plus Time and Space. All your best buffs and combat nanos will use these skills. There is a bit of concealment boost put in as well, but the leftovers are mostly in there to trigger the implants to require agility as their stat.



    Implant Location
    Shining-Cluster
    Bright-Cluster
    Faded-Cluster

    Head
    Pyscho Babble
    High RoF
    None

    Chest
    Life
    None
    Sensitivity

    Ear
    None
    Sneaking
    Psycho Babble

    Eye
    Longrange Weaponry
    Sensitivity
    E=MC2

    Left Arm
    None
    Insurging
    Transmutation

    Right Arm Unused
    None
    None
    None

    Left Wrist
    None
    Sprinting
    Longrange Weaponry

    Right Wrist
    High ROF
    Longrange Weaponry
    None

    Leg
    Dodging
    Endurance
    Life

    Left Hand Unused
    None
    None
    None

    Right Hand
    Disarming
    E=MC2
    High ROF

    Waist
    None
    Life
    None

    Feet
    Sneaking
    Nimbleness
    Ducking

    Options
    1. You can remove the bright Max Life from the waist, trading it for a bright Ducking and a faded Biological Metamorphosis. Do this if you need some Bio Met, and are willing to trade off some health. The Ducking implant is in there to trigger the implant's requirement as agility.**

    2. You can swap out the shining Psycological Modifications from the head for any other nano skill that you see fit.
    You can use a Time and Space one if you want better roots and snares but don't want the added cost of raising a dark blue nano skill...
    Or you can use a Matter Metamorphosis to help you cast the Ruse of Taren line eariler, and use better DoT's...
    Or you could leave the psyco mod in there, because it's an important nano skill in using the new sureshot and concentration nanos. It is also important for using your rifle and aimedshot buffs.

    The Results

    QL 100 version of the Basic Implant Setup yields the following increases:

    Max Health 435
    Stamina 17
    Agility 17
    ------------------------------
    Rifle 108
    ------------------------------
    Ranged Initiative 108
    Dodge Ranged 55
    Run Speed 31
    ------------------------------
    Pysco Mod 77
    Sensory Imp 53
    Time and Space 53
    Matter Met 22
    ------------------------------
    Concealment 86
    Breaking&entry 31
    Trap Disarm 55

    **If you swap out the Waist Life implant then max healthw will drop to 305. Bio Met and Duck Explosions will then be raised by 22 each.
    Last edited by Zeroshift; May 9th, 2002 at 16:20:19.

  4. #4
    The Ultimate Agent Implant Set:

    *Note: I have written down the cluster names, not the skill names. This should make it easier for newbies to find the clusters in the shops.*

    The Advanced Set
    This set is for the advanced agent. This set will require much more cash and time to assemble. This set will also require more than agility to use, dipping into your intellegence and stamina skills as requirements for some implants. Not to worry, intellegence is something you should be maxing every level, and you can never have enough stamina.

    This set carries over all the attributes of the basic set, but with a few additions. Perception has been added as it will help with the new low light scopes and spotting people in PvP. Bio Met has been added in full force, as it will become more useful as you get higher. There are little additions all over the implant set, but it's still the same basic set at it's core.



    Implant Location
    Shining-Cluster
    Bright-Cluster
    Faded-Cluster

    Head
    Pyscho Babble
    High RoF
    Perception

    Chest
    Life
    Polymorphing
    Sensitivity

    Ear
    Perception
    Sneaking
    Psycho Babble

    Eye
    Longrange Weaponry
    Sensitivity
    E=MC2

    Left Arm
    None
    Insurging
    Transmutation

    Right Arm
    Insurging
    Chemical Protection
    Radiation Resistance

    Left Wrist
    None
    Sprinting
    Longrange Weaponry

    Right Wrist
    High ROF
    Longrange Weaponry
    None

    Leg
    Dodging
    Endurance
    Life

    Left Hand
    None
    Fire Protection
    Red X

    Right Hand
    Disarming
    E=MC2
    High ROF

    Waist
    Chemical Protection
    Ducking
    Polymorphing

    Feet
    Sneaking
    Nimbleness
    Ducking

    Options
    The only options that remain in this set are what nano skill you should boost with your shining head spot.
    I went with psyco mod as it will give me even coverage across pysco mod, sense imp, and bio met. At higher levels you have little use for Time and Space other than it's required to use nano rechargers. The roots and snares higher up just aren't worth it, as your lower level ones will get the job done just fine.
    I can easily swap in a matter met cluster if I need to cast Ruse of Taren 3 later on though.

    The Results

    QL 100 version of the Advanced Implant Setup yields the following increases:

    Max Health 435
    Stamina 17
    Agility 17
    ------------------------------
    Rifle 108
    ------------------------------
    Ranged Initiative 108
    Dodge Ranged 55
    Run Speed 31
    Duck Explosions 22
    ------------------------------
    Pysco Mod 77
    Sensory Imp 53
    Bio Met 53
    Time and Space 53
    Matter Met 22
    ------------------------------
    Concealment 86
    Breaking&entry 86
    Trap Disarm 55
    Perception 77
    -----------------------------
    First Aid 22
    -----------------------------
    Chemical AC 435
    Fire AC 160
    Radiation AC 115
    Last edited by Zeroshift; May 9th, 2002 at 16:21:50.

  5. #5

    Smile Thanks Guys!

    Thanks guys, that really helps alot!

    *grin*

    Malilie
    Last edited by Malilie; May 9th, 2002 at 19:27:37.

  6. #6

  7. #7
    Really excellent posts all. Explains it perfectly.

  8. #8
    excellant post all...im a lot less confused now....im sorry they couldnt see fit to maybee.......put it in a manual instead of letting people pull their hair out over all this thanxs again well worded.

  9. #9

    Smile Clusters lower than Implant

    More Information:

    The exact calculation for the lowest QL cluster for an implant appears to be:

    Implant QL x 85% rounded up = lowest QL cluster

    For the shining clusters, you can save tons of money by following this rule. Maybe half a mil for QL 125 implants. So for QL 200 implants, a 170 cluster will be just fine.

    There is also a Rifle that adds +10 Treatment and +8 Stamina; the OT-Windchaser M06 Quartz. Available in QL 22-25 and in Basic Shop terminals.

    If Intelligence is a requirement, you can buff Intelligence not only with a Boost but with QL 1 or so Second Hand Old English Trading pistols. At low QL's it's a snap to dual wield and get +10 Intelligence.

    At level 55, after 14.0 I managed to fit in a couple of QL 125 implants. When I get level 86, I should get some in as high as 180.
    Last edited by Autocrat/Seraph; May 10th, 2002 at 00:44:56.

  10. #10

    Thumbs up

    Cosmik, sticky for the newbs please.

  11. #11
    Great information, thanks!

  12. #12

    What about...

    What about other classes? what's an ultimate implant set for an enforcer for example? a MP?
    Thanks!

  13. #13

    More Thinking: Why I Suggested an Upgrade Every 20 QLs

    This started out as a general "feeling" for me, but the more I look at it, the more sure I am that for most people, every 20 QLs is about right. I originally thought so because that's the rate at which blank implants are available in stores. But I think Funcom made the right choice there, because let's look at what 20 QLs in an implant buys you.

    Let's take the most common case, where due to conflicts and overlaps, you can't triple implant every skill you want. Typically you can have one shining and one either faded or bright. If you look at the numbers in the first post, one shining plus one faded equals roughly three quarters of a point per QL in a skill. For 20 QLs, that's about 15 points. 15 extra skill points is about equal to two to four more character levels than your current implants are buying you, depending on the color of the skill involved.

    For example:

    • +15 to MattCrea/TimeSpace is just shy of what it takes a puppeteer to jump yet again one more level of attack pet.
    • +15 in weapon skills brings your maximum QL up about 3 levels in your primary weapon, raising your average damage per shot by 1 to 4 points per attack (if you can find that QL of weapon).
    • +15 in BioMet/MatMet is roughly what it takes a healer to jump ahead yet one more level in healing nanos.
    Last edited by Brad, STL/MO; May 24th, 2002 at 22:31:29.

  14. #14

    Re: What about...

    Originally posted by Strax
    What about other classes? what's an ultimate implant set for an enforcer for example? a MP?
    Thanks!
    Sorry, I only play agent :/

    Best go troll the enforcer and MP boards for someone to offer one up.

  15. #15

    Thumbs up sticky needed

    thanks for that wonderful post--I found it very useful...now all I need is the same depth of information on Agent IPs and I'll be set.

    this needs a sticky for sure.
    Guide to Teaming With Docs! is the funniest post ever. | "Engie Got Bot" song spoof
    AO chat log of Titanic sinking is the second funniest post ever

    No matter how many levels I gain, the Lag Monster is always red to me.

    Currently playing The Secret World.

  16. #16

    Thumbs up

    Great info here! I felt quite comfortable with implants, but in fact learnt some really interesting things by reading this thread.

    Thanks guys for taking on your time to help us n00bs

  17. #17

    Updated

    Updated the original post with some of the things I was corrected on, and as much other stuff as I could fit into the 15000 character limit.

  18. #18

    How will 14.2 & OE affect Implantation?

    Great post Brad, could have done with it myself a while back

    My question is we boost Treatment in order to get the implant in. Under the OE rules, will we get penalised when the buff wears off? Or will it only depend only on the other skill requirement?

    Probably one for coz and sticky would be good.

  19. #19

    Last I heard

    The last thing I heard is that implants will be susceptible to the over-equipping rule on the secondary attribute, but not on the Treatment requirement.

    So in other words, if your implant requires 100 Stamina and your Stamina drops below 81, then it loses 25% of its effect. However, if it requires 250 Treatment to install and your Treatment drops back to 120, it still works fine.

    We'll all know on Wednesday, I guess.

  20. #20
    More treatment

    Currently this is doc only. Until they remove the restriction on Biomech it should be available for everyone (that is after 14.2).

    Biomech adds +1 treatment for every 20 QL's (rounded up, 75 = 4, 81 = 5). Locations head and back are not covered by the OT med suit. This allows you to gain up to 20 points extra treatment.

    From the followup article
    originally posted by Gaute Godager

    9. Shouldn't the OE be applied to NCUs, implants and other similar equipment?

    This has been the topic of much internal discussion. People say that the golden path to over-equipping is through NCUs. This may be true... but we still decided not to include the NCU belt or NCU memory in the OE focus. It might not be the wisest of decisions, but we still felt the Armour and Weapons to be the most significant OE issues. The difference is that a high NCU count would make people more social - they'd find team play more enjoyable etc. I don't want to affect that. That is why...
    So where did you get the info about implants being affected. I've been trying to find it on the board and haven't found it (yet)
    Last edited by Aristaeus; Jun 1st, 2002 at 00:35:46.

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